All That Glitters - Part 5
Jensen gets off the elevator and he isn’t even twenty feet down the hallway before he hears music pouring out the door at the end. Jared’s neighbors must love him. The door is open halfway and Sam Cooke is singing about Summertime and easy living, clearly it’s Jared’s motto in life. He knocks lightly and walks in.
“Jared?”
“I’ll be right out.” Comes from the bathroom.
Jensen looks around; it’s little messy but not dirty, save for a few dishes in the sink. The furnishings are a little lackluster, he thinks maybe the sofa was from the Padaleckis living room a decade ago; no way Jared picked that floral pattern himself. Otherwise it’s looks as expected, a bachelor pad. Black shelving with books, magazines and cd’s stacked everywhere, a coffee table fashioned from wood pallets and a potted plant in the corner that looks like it needs some love and a lot of water. There are shoes, flip flops mostly, scattered across the floor, a surfboard propped up against a wall and the required bachelor staple, a massive sound system and television smack in the middle of all of it.
He peaks into the bedroom, there’s a cozy looking bed with a ton of blankets pushed and twisted at the head and a single white sheet kicked to the end of the mattress and box spring, which sits directly on the floor. Just like Jared would have it. He tries not to because he’s still annoyed at Jared, but he smiles at that.
“Hey stranger.” A deep rich voice coo’s in to his ear.
It’s just then when warm bare arms wrap around his waist and pull him back into Jared’s chest. Now he feels like he’s home. Jared presses his face against Jensen’s cheek, he smells fresh soap and can feel the soft stubble against his skin, Jared’s just showered but he hasn’t shaved in a few days. As much as he would love to stay just like that, for days, and then loathe himself for it later, he came here for a reason.
He puts his hands on Jared’s arms, trying to release himself from the grip. Jared barely lets him. So he turns as best as he can and their faces are centimeters apart. Jensen swallows hard because jesus fucking christ the asshole is even hotter than the last time he saw him.
He’s at least a few inches taller than last time; his hair is longer, the stubble, runway model perfect, soft pink lips just begging for attention right there. Jensen tilts his head up a bit, he has to now, and those blue-hazel-green eyes that have kept Jensen transfixed for years are glassy, sparkling and fixed right on him. Jensen doesn’t have to look down to know that Jared is naked except for sun bronzed tan and a too small white towel wrapped around the slim cut of his hips. He’s a walking talking, living, breathing specimen of perfect physical man.
“Hey, Jay.” It takes all of Jensen’s strength then to push away. He can’t have this, it would break him and right now he has to think of the reason he’s home at all.
They look at each other for a long minute, taking each other in and assessing. Jensen can’t help it, he rushes forward and hugs Jared with all he has and Jared returns it. He rocks Jensen from side to side a little and whispers shhh’s low against his ear. “It’s ok…it’s ok.”
“No…it’s not.” Jensen tries and Jared just keeps on, cupping the back of Jensen’s head with his giant palm.
Jensen has to pull away, hard. Jared thinks he’s talking about the last time he was here.
“No, Jay. It’s not okay, nothing is okay, everything is far from okay.” Jensen practically spits at him. “Where the fuck have you been?”
“Why are you yelling at me?” Jared looks hurt, confused and beautiful. “I told you I was with Chad.”
“Did you even listen to my message?” Jensen is irate.
“Yeah, but I was in a club so I could barely hear what you were saying other than you were back and to call you.” Now Jared is getting upset, chest heaving and his face getting red. He grabs a pair of jeans off the dresser and drops the towel, pulling them up his long, long legs. “What the fuck is going on? Why are you so fucking pissed at me?”
“It’s Gen, Jared. She’s in Intensive care at Cedars.” He growls. Jared’s eyes go wide and his face turns as white as the towel in his hand. Jensen’s voice drops to barely a whisper. “She was raped and beaten Jay.”
They stand there motionless for a minute, both looking down at the floor.
“No…no, I was just with her yesterday.” Jared shakes his head. “I was at her place before I took off with Chad.”
His face looks like it used to when he was a kid, trying to figure out math in his head. “How did you?”
“The hospital called me. What time did you leave?” Jensen asks. “Did you see anyone around her building?”
Jared leans against the doorframe and bends over, gripping his hair in his hands. He doesn’t say anything.
“Jared, was she seeing someone?”
“No, not that I’m aware of. There’s a guy, a trainer over at the stables where she rides. She likes him, but I don’t think anything’s happened.” Jared says, standing up again and moving into the living room.
Jensen follows him out and sits on the arm of the sofa while Jared moves around and tried to straighten up the place.
“What were you guys doing before you took off with Chad?” Jensen knows Jared’s trying to evade him and he has a good idea why.
It’s perfect timing when Jared goes to grab some magazines off the coffee table and small mirror drops back onto slipping from between some pages. It’s smudged but there are traces of white powder visible.
Jared doesn’t move. So Jensen walks over and picks it up. “Great. That’s it right? You guys were fucking around. What happened?”
“No, she wasn’t.” Jared’s telling the truth about that, Jensen knows this, but Jared still looks guilty.
“So that thing everyone has been whispering about for months and keeping from me, it’s all true?” Jensen asks, his voice begging Jared to tell him it’s not true.
“I just...” Jared starts.
“You just, what Jay?” It’s all true and Jensen knows it. He’s been lying to himself all this time.
“Come on Jensen, it’s nothing serious. It’s not like I’m an addict or anything. We’re just having a good time.” Jared’s seems to have been lying to himself, just as much as Jensen has.
Jensen walks over the bathroom and pushes the door open, just as he suspected there’s another mirror on the vanity and a small cut of a straw. “You need a bump just to talk to me? Were you scared to see me?” Jensen’s voice is rising as his stomach sinks to the floor. “Is there something else you’re not telling me? What is it, Jared. Tell me, because I really need to know.”
“No.” Jared starts then halts. “No, I love you, you’re my best friend. I’m just.” He sits on the edge of the sofa where Jensen just was. “I’m bored.”
“You’re bored?” Jensen can’t believe what he’s hearing. He laughs mirthlessly. “You’re bored? So get a fucking job, go to school already. What are you doing?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” Jared sits back into a pout and his hands clapped together between his thighs and shoulders slumped forward.
“What the fuck Jay.” He’s beyond tired now and everything coming at him feels like another blow to his stomach. He sits down at Jared’s feet, legs splayed. “Talk to me.”
Jared slides off the end of the sofa and sits with Jensen on the floor, lifting his legs and positioning them over Jensen’s. “What’s the point? I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. I’m young and I just want to have fun. It’s not like Gerry and Sherry are forcing me to do something with myself. I don’t really need to.” He takes a deep breath and sits back against the sofa. “So Chad and I just hang out, surf, party and fuck around. We’re not hurting anyone.”
Jensen winces at that. Gen’s hurt. That’s why he’s here and Jared was the last to see her.
“So is this it? Is this what you’re going to do with your life? Surf, get high, coast on your parent’s dime until you get your inheritance?” This wasn’t how it was supposed to be for Jared. Jensen is sad for that boy he met in the park that day. “You’re so much better than that Jay.”
“Am I? Doesn’t feel like it.” Jared says, chewing on his lower lip. “My family is never around; Gen’s busy with her life and you…” He swallows hard. “You left me.”
“I didn’t leave Jared. I went to college.” Jensen tries to sound matter of fact about it. But he knows there is some truth to what Jared is saying. Only he doesn’t want to admit it, yet.
“Okay. But you still left and not just across town. You moved across the country when you could have stayed here and gone to USC, I saw the acceptance letter.”
“Jared.” Now Jensen really does feel guilty.
“You left because of me.” Jared looks like he’s on the verge of crying. “I went too far, with us, didn’t I?”
“That was my fault.” Jensen admits. “I shouldn’t have let it happen. You were, you are, my best friend and I shouldn’t have let it go as far as it did.”
“But you wanted it, didn’t you?” Jared’s face is crestfallen. “Did I push you?”
“No, you didn’t push me.” Jensen says quickly. “I was supposed to look out for you. Be better for you and Gen.”
“You barely ever come home.” Tears are now coming down his face. “I know I screwed it up. I was dumb and…”
“Stop.” Jensen demands, lifting Jared’s face up under his chin. “I would never in a million years think you were dumb Jared. You’re the smartest person I know.” He laughs a little bit. “On most days anyway.”
Jared smiles at that. “Thanks.”
“Jay, you have always been the smartest, sweetest, funniest, most caring, strongest people I’ve ever known.” He keeps Jared’s chin up, forcing him to look Jensen in the eyes. “I mean it. Even when we were kids, I was almost scared of how strong you were, so much stronger than me. I knew you were going to outgrow me before I outgrew you.”
“Come on?” Jared looks at him, his head tilted in disbelief.
Jensen sniffs, “I swear.” He holds up his hand like he’s swearing on a stack of bibles. “And I wanted that for you. I wanted you to be whatever it was you wanted and more.”
“So why aren’t we close anymore?” He’s begging for an answer and Jensen needs to give him one.
This isn’t the right time to make this kind of declaration, but Jensen doesn’t have many options at the moment. “Because I love you Jay.”
“I love you too, Jen.” Jared says, like he has every other time he’s said them, familial.
“I’m in love with you Jared.” He breathes it out fast on an exhale. “Like love, love.”
“But?” Jared is smiling, but he looks more confused than ever.
“I know you thought we were just messing around but I should have known better. I should have stopped it sooner because you were still a kid and family, it was like incest.” Jensen rolls his eyes, remembering all those raging hormones and sweaty sweet moments. “I wanted it, god did I want it. Then you told me about Adrienne and I used that as a reason to let go without having to admit what I was really feeling. It was easier that way.”
It’s quiet for a minute, and then they both start laughing.
“Ugh, why didn’t you ever tell me that?” Jared smacks him on the shoulder. “How Flowers in the Attic of us.”
Jensen snorts and Jared keeps snickering, his tongue poking out from behind his teeth. It takes a few minutes before they stop laughing.
“I’ve missed you so much Jen.” Jared’s voice is serious again, a little hurt mixed in. He takes Jensen’s hand and twines their fingers, rubbing a thumb over the back of Jensen’s knuckles. “And I don’t just mean that.”
Jensen snorts but he doesn’t pull away from the contact.
Jared’s cheeks turn pink. “Okay, that, but everything else too.”
“Yeah?” Jensen tries to thumb wrestle Jared.
“Yeah!” Jared tried to wrestle back. “All of it, running around, watching the same movies over and over again, and spending all day in bed doing nothing, even studying together; you, me and Gen, making up our own rules and stuff.”
“I miss that too.” Jensen admits, lifting his arm to get leverage on Jared’s thumb.
“You fucking cheater.” Jared growls trying to fight back.
Jensen ends up on his back Jared looming over him, full on wrestling now. Until Jared pins Jensen’s arms over his head, their chests rising and falling with deep breaths.
“I’m in love you too, dummy.” Jared says. His cheeks are pink from exertion. “Always have been.” Then the color deepens.
He drops down and kisses Jensen and Jensen kisses back with all he has for a minute.
Then he pushes Jared up by the shoulders. “Gen?”
Jared rolls over on to his back. “Shit. Sorry.”
Jensen sits up and looks over at him. “I know.” He stands up and reaches down to pull Jared up.
Revelations aside, there is still other things they are more pressing to deal with.
“I should get back to my parents’ house.” Jensen groans. “I need to sleep and shower and sleep.”
“Just stay here.” Jared asks.
“No, I can’t.” Jensen says, motioning between the two of them. “We can deal with this later.”
“I promise I’ll behave.” Jared holds his hand up now. “Scouts honor!”
“We got kicked out of Scouts.” Jensen laughs, stretching his arms over his head and yawning.
“Oh right.” Jared says, pretending to punch Jensen in the stomach. “Come on, it’s late.
We’ll go see Gen in the morning, this way you don’t have to drive back here to get me.”
“See, there you go being smart again.” Jensen laughs, patting Jared on the chest.
Jared holds his hand over Jensen’s and presses it to his heart. “I mean it, this is yours.”
Jensen knows Jared is telling him the truth, he’s elated really, but he’s also bone tired.
“Can I borrow a toothbrush?”
They fall asleep together, just as they always have before. And just like before, Jared eventually curled back into Jensen. He was dog tired, but having Jared that close and his feelings out in the open, Jensen, or Jensen’s dick, couldn’t deny how good it felt to have all that warm muscle up against him. He shifted his hips a little and soon was slowly riding the groove of Jared’s ass thru his boxers.
They were half asleep but need and muscle memory guided them through it. Jensen rolled over on top of Jared, blanketing his body. He pulled down his boxers far enough to be able to kick his legs out of them and then slid a hand between them to do the same with Jared’s. It didn’t go much beyond Jensen grinding against the seam of Jared’s spread ass, then Jensen reached under Jared’s hips and stroked him until he came, shaking against and whimpering low into the pillows. Jensen fell back against the mattress, pulling Jared with him, out of the wet spot. Jared nuzzled up to him and through a leg between Jensen’s. They stayed that way, kissing softly, just lips, until they both fell fully into sleep.
Early the next morning they get ready to go see Gen.
“Hey, can we swing by Chad’s on the way so I can get my truck? Then I’ll just follow you.” Jared asks.
“Sure.” Jensen replies, and kisses Jared softly once he rinses his mouth of toothpaste.
It’s still early and Chad’s street is quiet. Jensen pulls up alongside Jared’s giant Ford F-250 and waits for him to get in.
“Shit, I need to get gas.” Jared exhales.
“Okay. She’s in Room 516, make a right when you get off the elevator and we’ll see ya when you get there.”
“Alright, I won’t be far behind you.”
Jensen pulls away and he can see Jared make a U-Turn and pull in behind him, following a few hundred feet back. He can’t help but smile think about those moments in the middle of the night. They are a about a mile up Santa Monica Boulevard when he notices Jared pulling into an Arco in his side mirror.
The traffic on the streets isn’t that bad and he somehow manages to hit most of the green lights on his way towards West Hollywood. When gets to the hospital he stops to get a cup coffee, some flowers and a magazine from the gift shop.
A nurse is walking out of her room as he gets there, so he stands by. “She’s awake, you can go in.” She smiles.
He walks in and she’s sitting up a little more mostly with the help of the bed that’s positioned up a little more than yesterday. She’s eating some scrambled eggs and toast, but not happily. She makes a small begging noise when she sees his coffee. “Are you bringing that for me because I have to suffer through just add water egg stuff?”
“You know better than that.” Jensen takes a long sip and Mmm’s obnoxiously while he swings the cup side to side in front of her face. Then he leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “But I did bring you these.” He follows up, showing her the flowers and the latest copy of whatever tabloid magazine was closest the register.
“Thanks.” She huffs, tearing off and eating another small piece of toast.
He lays them on the foot of her bed and hands her the cup. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
She takes it gratefully and takes a sip as Jensen grabs one of the pink plastic water pitchers of her nightstand and heads into the bathroom. “Jared is gonna be here in a bit. He was out of gas and had to stop.” He says, filling the pitcher with water from the sink. “That truck is ridiculous but I can’t imagine him in any other kind of car.” He goes on.
When he comes out he looks at Gen and she’s shaking, face like she just saw a ghost. He hurries over putting the pitcher and the coffee cup on the tray table. “Oh my god, are you ok? What is it?”
“I don’t want to see Jared.” She pleads, body trying to curl in on itself, she winces from the pain in her ribs. “Please Jensen; I can’t see him…not now.”
“Okay, it’s okay, I got you.” He take her hands in his rubbing them and trying to calm her down.
Her eyes are darting around the room like she’s looking for a safe place to hide.
“What happened Gen? Why can’t you see Jared?”
“I can’t Jensen, okay, I can’t.” She’s on the verge of hysterical.
“Did he do this to you?” Jensen demands. He’s never seen her like this before, to Jared or anyone.
“No, he was, no. Please Jensen.”
He pulls her into his chest and strokes her back. “I’ve got you; you don’t have to do anything you don’t want, alright.”
He pulls back and looks her in the face. “I haven’t asked, because I wanted you to tell me on your own time. But I think I need to know now.”
Chest heaving and throat fluttering, slowly, she catches her breath. “I…I had.” She starts and stops voice hitching. “I had just gotten home from class when Jared buzzed from the gate in front of the building. He came up and we were just hanging out, watching Friends. I was eating a sandwich and we had a couple of beers. He was fidgety but that’s been Jared lately.”
She looks up at Jensen with something of an apology. Jensen shakes his head. “I know. It’s not your fault.”
“He said that he was going to go out to Palm Springs with Chad, after rush hour, to some party they had heard about. He asked if I wanted to come with them. I said no, I had class the next morning and that’s not my scene anyway.”
She takes another deep breath and exhales. Her hands are in her lap and she’s flicking her thumbnails together. She won’t really look at him. “It must have been about an hour so when his phone went off. So he got up and walked over the window and looked down at the street. I figured it was just Chad. So I went into the kitchen to clean up a bit and grab a beer for him.” She blushes slightly at that. Old crushes can still have you doing silly things.
“Jared came into the kitchen and said Mike was coming up.” She stops flicking her nails, instead pressing her nails into her fingers, leaving crescent marks up and down the pads of her fingers.
“Rosenbaum?”
“Yeah, he’s still a prick. He hooks up Jared and Chad with party favors. Jared knows I can’t stand him and I certainly didn’t want him around.” She looks Jensen in the eyes then, rage clear then. “Him or Tom Welling.”
The coffee in Jensen’s stomach turns. That’s who was in the Cadillac he saw in front of Joan’s and coming out of Jared’s garage. Mike Rosenbaum, Tom’s lackey since freshman year of high school.
“I told Jared, absolutely no, not in my house. He begged and said Mike would be gone in less than five minutes” Reaching for Jensen’s coffee, she takes a deep gulp and then continues. “An hour later he was still there, being his greasy self, joking with Jared and giving me shit for being annoyed.”
She lets out a sigh, trying to master herself. “Finally he said ‘shall we get to business?’ so I went into my bedroom. I didn’t want to be there to watch it.”
Jensen doesn’t want hear it but he knows. Gen has seen Jared get stoned before. And she clearly knows about the coke. It never seemed to bother her as much as what he knows what is coming.
“I gave them about ten minutes and I went back out there. Jared could nod, but I wanted Mike gone.”
Images of Jared’s face as a child flash through Jensen’s head. He can almost imagine the look Jared must get on his face when he gets the rush. Jensen is both livid and heartbroken.
“I tried to get him to leave but he wouldn’t. Kept egging me on, saying shit about how stuck up I was in school, how I never gave him the time of day, and that now, people respected him and that I would be lucky to be by his side.” Her eyes are watery now. “I tried to get past him and wake Jared bought he wouldn’t budge. Mike grabbed me by the arm and almost pulled it out of the socket. ‘Some people even fear me, Cortese.’ I laughed at him. Then he backhanded me across the face.”
She just breathes for a minute; the room is silent except for the beeping of the heart monitor at the head of the bed.
“He grabbed me by the neck and threw me down on the floor. Cursing and spitting in my face. I tried to yell and grab for Jared on the sofa, but Mike punched me in the stomach. He pushed up my skirt and was fumbling getting his pants undone; I was crying and screaming for Jared. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the floor. He shoved into me, hard, and I squeezed my legs together as hard as I could to stop him. I just kept crying calling ‘Jared…Jared’ and pulling on his hand.
‘You’re a squirmy little bitch aren’t ya?’Mike sneers, laughing at her struggling.
He pulls her leg up to flips her over. She kicks back with all she has, hitting him in the stomach and then tries to scramble away. Just as she’s getting to her feet Mike lunges and pulls her leg back, yanking her back down to the floor. He gets up and pulling her with him up off of her feet, and covers her mouth with his hand.
‘You fucking cunt, you’re gonna pay for that.’ He growls.
Jensen can practically hear his blood boiling, as it races through his veins, heart rate speeding up.
“He dragged me into my room and threw me on the bed. I scratched him as hard as I could on the neck. He just kept hitting me til I stopped moving and then he…he.” She stammers, voice hitching again. “It was a nightmare but I was awake. I felt all of it, like someone swinging a bat at me over and over again, until he, finished.”
They both have tears streaming down their faces only now, Jensen is the one shaking.
She swallows hard and then quiets again. “I don’t know how long it was, but he finally got up and left. He said something about me then about Jared, but I wasn’t listening. When I heard the front door slam shut I crawled to my bedroom door, shit it and locked it. Jared was still out cold on the couch.”
Jensen stands up, ringing his hands together, then wiping them on the side of his pants. He’s got on the ones he wore yesterday; his luggage was at his folk’s house. But he borrowed a shirt from Jared and all he wants to do, besides kill that son of a bitch Rosenbaum and beat the shit out of Jared, is to rip it off because it’s making his skin crawl.
Gen’s voice is calm now. “When I woke up, I pulled myself into the bathroom and tried to…I grabbed the cordless off the counter and called 911. Jared wasn’t there when they arrived.”
Its then that Jared gets there. He’s got a small smile on his face and he’s inching his way into the room. “Is it okay if I come in? I’ve got some Oreos and milk.” He shakes them in his hands like he’s trying to pacify a small child, or a hurt friend.
Gen doesn’t even look towards him, just away to the window.
“Get out, Jared.” Jensen demands.
“Is something wrong?”
“Get out, Jared.” Jensen hollers.
He pushes Jared back in to the hallway, closing the door to the room behind him.
“What the hell Jensen? Is she okay?”
“No she’s not fucking okay and it’s your fucking fault.”
“What the hell did I do? I told you, I didn’t touch her.” He pushes Jensen’s back.
“Mike did this. While you were gacked out of your head, he did this.” Jensen seethes. “He beat the shit out of her and raped her, and you were passed out on the sofa. You were right there Jared and you did nothing.” He spits outs.
Jared’s hands drop to his sides, the cookies and milk fall the floor and as sinks against the wall, shame and confusion evident on his face.
“She’s your best friend Jared and you brought this on her.” Jensen is poking at Jared’s chest, keeping his voice low so as not to call any more attention to them. “Weed, coke, it wasn’t enough for you? How long has it been Jared?”
“What?” Jared looks up, eyes puppy dog, like he’s lost, but Jensen doesn’t budge.
“How long have you been shooting heroin?”
“I don’t know, a few months maybe, I don’t do it all the time.”
“Jesus, Jared. I don’t even know who you are anymore.” His heart is breaking all over again and the fight drains out of his body.
“Whose fault is that Jen, huh?” Jared straightens up now, pulling his shoulders back.
“You’re the one that left us, remember?” He snaps back.
“You’re right, I did leave. But this, all of this, is your fault.” Jensen challenges, pointing towards Gen.
“I am so sorry this happened Jen, you have no idea. But I didn’t hurt her. Mike did. And he’s going to pay for it.” Jared amends.
Jensen just shakes his head. “I can’t even look at you anymore. I may have moved to New York, but you’re the one that left. Yeah, you didn’t touch her, but this is your fault Jared. It’s because of you that Mike was even there and you can’t even take responsibility for it.”
“What do you want from me Jensen? You want me to apologize to you? I said I was sorry. You want me to apologize to Gen? I will, for the rest of my life, but you won’t let me near her. So what then, huh? What?” He throws his hands up in the air, like he’s out of options.
“I don’t know Jared. I don’t know how bad it is or how far gone you really are. I’m sorry about that. I can tell you what to do, just like when we were kids, but I honestly don’t think you’ll listen.” Jensen is defeated. “I don’t even know if I care anymore.”
He knows that part is a lie. He loves Jared, always will, but Jared has come clean and start telling the truth or ask for help, if he even wants it.
Right now Jensen has to focus on his other best friend.
His eyes well up with tears. “Please just, leave us alone.”
“Jensen.” Jared sobs.
Jensen shakes his head and walks back into Gen’s room, closing the door behind him.
Leaving Jared behind.
Two days later Gen is released from the hospital.
Instead of going to her parents’ house, she wants to go back to her place. “This is my home Jensen and I’m not letting that asshole ruin it for me.”
Jensen stays with her.
No one has heard from or seen Jared, Jensen isn’t surprised.
When they step into her place, she takes a long slow look around. Jensen brought over some things from his room at his folks, mostly board games and a stack dvd’s they used to watch constantly.
When she finally makes it into her bedroom she cries and gives Jensen a crushing hug, as much as she can muster anyway.
“I love it, thank you so much.” She says, walking over and running her hand over the new bedding.
He smiles. “I filled your fridge too, but I think we should call in a pizza right now and throw in ‘What About Bob’, sound good to you?”
“It’s sounds perfect, but more than anything, I want a shower.”
“You’re gonna need help with that. Should we call you mom or something?” He recommends.
“No! I just want to relax and I don’t need to be worried about her worrying over me.” She insists.
About an hour later, the pizza shows up and so does Danneel.
Gen insisted Jensen could have helped her ‘you’ve seen me naked plenty of times’ but he thought this time it would be better if another woman was there to help.
Another hour later, Gen is swathed in a thick terry cloth robe and cashmere socks. He skin is pink from the heat of the shower and scrubbing herself clean. Danneel helping her throughout, even blow drying Gen’s hair and pulling it in back into a low ponytail. When they come out Jensen is pulling the pizza out of the oven and placing it on the kitchen island with some containers of salads and a few bottles of water.
Before they sit down on the couch to eat and watch ‘Thelma & Louise’, at their insistence, Jensen flips the seat cushions over.
“Okay Jensen, enough, thank you.” Gen chuckles.
After the movie ends and Danneel leaves, he makes them some tea and they go to into Gen’s room for a much needed nap. Hospitals aren’t all that conducive to restful sleep.
Gen lies back against the mountain of new pillows, tucked just under Jensen’s arm.
“I’m sorry I never called you more or asked how things were here. I should have, I was a coward.” He admits.
She yawns and adjusts her arm a little so she can to her face up towards his. “You weren’t a coward Jensen. I knew why didn’t. I guess it’s my own fault for not being honest with you and telling you how bad things with Jared were really getting.”
“So we both suck?” Jensen says.
“Pretty much.” She concludes. “You know, the thing is, with Jared, it’s not like he isn’t still Jared.”
“I know.” Jensen agrees.
“Like eighty percent of the time, he’s just Jared, you know? He’s like the best person ever.”
“Hey!” Jensen admonishes.
“Present company excluded, of course.” She teases.
“Of course.” He pinches her hips lightly.
“He’s still goofy and smart and always up for anything. But it’s like the clock strikes stupid and he just does this total Jekyll Hyde one eighty and then he’s just gone.”
“How bad is it?” Jensen asks.
“Well, I’ll admit he is funnier when he’s stoned, but when he’s on rails or something else, I don’t know who I’m looking at.” She rubs at her eyes a bit. “It wasn’t really that bad until a few months ago. I could tell he was getting into harder stuff. Then he and Chad were going out to Palm Springs more and more.”
“So not just to his parents’ house, out there or clubs?” Jensen is putting it together.
“Tom has a place out there.” She continues. “He’s like a walking example of Drug Dealer 101. Pretend to be their friend, get them hooked with a few free hits then charge them interest.”
“Great.” Jensen groans. “So it’s just the same as it was in high school, with Mike just behind him, doing the dirty work.”
“I’ve heard horror stories from other people, about what they do if someone can’t pay or something.” Gen shudders. “What are we going to do Jen?”
“We are going to sleep, then I will think of something and you will work on getting better.” Jensen commands.
“Yes, Chief.” She takes his hand and kisses the back of his knuckles.
They wake later to pounding on the door. Jensen makes Genevieve stay in her room.
When he looks through the peephole he sees Jared.
“Jensen please, I know you’re here.” He begs.
Jensen opens the door and Jared comes in. He’s a mess. He’s sweaty and his clothes are filthy. He’s got black circles around his eyes as if he’s been up for days. Jensen thinks he probably has.
“Jared, what’s going on?”
“I know I’m the last person you guys want to see right now and I don’t blame you, but I’m trouble Jen. I need help.” He pleads.
Jensen wanted this but not like this. Jared is shaking and rubbing his arms like he’s freezing despite the warmth of the apartment.
“He’s ours Jensen.” They both spin around and see Gen standing in the doorway to her room.
These two tall guys and it’s her, all five feet four inches, who’s always been the strongest of them.
Jared rushes to her and collapses at her feet, arms hugging around her waist. “I am so so sorry Peanut. This is all my fault. The last thing I’d ever want is to hurt you or Jensen.
You have to believe me.” He begs, repeating the words over and over again.
She cards her fingers through his hair and leans down to kiss the top of his head. “I know Jay, I know.”
They end up on the sofa and Jared admits that his parents halted his trust fund and that he and Chad owed Tom a lot of money. Mike made them a deal to do some drug running for Tom, as a way to pay back some of the debt. So they did it a few times, but they skimmed some of the product and Mike found out a few days ago.
“I’m scared Jen. These guys are crazy. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what they’re going to do to us.” Jared is frantic.
“How much do you owe them Jay?” Gen asks.
“It was twenty five thousand before, but now he wants fifty.”
“Fuck, Jared, how on earth…never mind. When do they want it?” Jensen asks, his head dropping into his palms.
“Three days.”
He lets his hands rub over his face. “Okay, three days. I can figure this out. We’ll figure this out.” Jensen attempts. “I only have a few thousand in my savings right now, but I can cash out some stocks to maybe make fifteen.”
“I have a little over ten thousand.” Gen adds.
“I can ask my dad for a loan.” He’ll have to lie to Alan about why he needs it, the guilt filling him thinking that maybe he’s really to blame for all of it, since he’s the one that gave Jared his first hit of weed seven years ago. He was supposed to teach them sure, but he was also supposed to protect them. He made a promise and he broke it. “We’ll fix this, I promise.”
“I know I don’t have the right to ask for your forgiveness.” Jared looks to Gen. “From either of you, but I am really really sorry and I swear I’ll make it up to both of you. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Gen gives him a small smile.
Jared faces breaks wide, like that alone is all he needs right now. “I’m going to go talk to Gerry, see if he’ll let me have the rest of it.”
Jensen walks Jared to the door and tells him to call Jensen as soon as he’s done talking to his dad. Jared promises he will and hugs him.
“Well this has been another Hallmark Moment.”
“Never a dull moment around here, Jensen, you know that.” Gen stands up and heads towards her room. “I need another nap.”
Jensen checks his watch. “The bank closes in an hour. I’m going to go get that money and put an order in to cash out those bonds. I’ll swing by and get your prescriptions at the pharmacy on the way back.”
“Bring some ice cream too please, mint chip.” She says.
“I’ll be back soon.” Jensen grabs his wallet and his keys and heads out.
**
There’s a knock on the door a few minutes later and Gen gets up expecting it to be Jensen having forgotten something. She opens the door. It’s not Jensen.
About an hour and a half later, Jensen’s heading back to Genevieve’s. He’s got a wad of cash, painkillers and two kinds of ice cream. He calls his parents’ house to let them know what’s going on with Jared, they aren’t they but MacKenzie is. She tells him that since Jensen’s been gone everyone has had to deal with Jared and his mistakes. But that Jensen shouldn’t blame himself for how Jared turned out. And even though he loves Jared, Jared needs to clean up his own messes. Jensen thinks maybe she’s smarter than the lot of them. He makes her promise this time, to be a better brother and call home more.
When he walks into Gen’s place the place is destroyed and Gen is curled into a ball on the sofa.
She’s okay, just shaken, they didn’t touch her.
“There was a knock on the door like a minute after you left, I thought it was you. It wasn’t.” She’s shivering but not crying.
It was two guys looking for Jared. They tossed the place looking for something and when they couldn’t find it they left. But not before the one with a dragon tail tattoo wrapped around his throat made a comment about her being sloppy seconds.
Jensen is furious he leaves Jared a message and stuffs a bag with things for Gen and takes her back to his parents’ house. It’s safe and secure there.
He sets her up in his bedroom and goes to make her some tea. He tries for Jared again, no answer.
It’s almost midnight, when Jensen’s phone finally rings. It’s Jared.
“Where the hell are you? Do you know what’s happened?” Jensen hisses, he’s in his bathroom with the door shut, trying not to wake Gen.
“Chad is dead.” Is all Jared says.
Jensen sinks to the floor. “Where are you Jay?”
“I’m in the desert.” He can hear the sound of cars whizzing past, Jared must be at a phone booth. “My dad said the only money he’d give me was money to check into rehab.”
Jensen can hear Jared shaking.
“I can’t say I blame him, I did some pretty shitty things while you were gone Jen.” Jared admits. “I thought maybe I could talk to Tom. Tell him I had the twenty five and that I would pay him back the rest as soon as I could.”
“What about Chad?” Jensen thinks of Little Miracles and how Chad Michael Murray is now another child actor statistic.
“He’s in the room at the Stardust, where we normally stay at.” Jensen can hear Jared adding a few more coins into the payphone. “I think maybe Tom gave him a hot dose or something, as a warning.”
“I’m coming to get you.” Jensen gets up and looks at himself in the mirror, the dark rings under his eyes are even more pronounced now.
“I’m sorry Jensen.”
“After this, I’m driving you to rehab myself, Jared. I’ll do whatever I have to to help get you clean, but you are going. You hear me?”
“I hear you.”
He doesn’t wake Gen, but leaves her a note. Mac’s bedroom light is on so he asks her to keep an eye on Gen and he’ll be back soon. He doesn’t say where he’s going or why? But he knows she’s not dumb.
“Just be safe Jensen, ok?” She sticks out her pinky finger.
Jensen’s been making a lot of promises lately. “I’ll do what I can, kiddo.” He hooks his pinky around hers and tugs.
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